Strategies of Functional Foods Promote Sleep in Human Being

Sleep apnoea, gut dysbiosis and cognitive dysfunction

Sleep disorders are becoming increasingly common, and their distinct effects on physical and mental health require elaborate investigation. Gut dysbiosis (GD) has been reported in sleep-related disorders, but sleep apnoea is of particular significance because of its higher prevalence and chronicity. Cumulative evidence has suggested a link between sleep apnoea and GD. This review highlights the gut-brain communication axis that is mediated via commensal microbes and various microbiota-derived metabolites (e.g. short-chain fatty acids, lipopolysaccharide and trimethyl amine N-oxide), neurotransmitters (e.g. γ-aminobutyric acid, serotonin, glutamate and dopamine), immune cells and inflammatory mediators, as well as the vagus nerve and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. This review also discusses the pathological role underpinning GD and altered gut bacterial populations in sleep apnoea and its related comorbid conditions, particularly cognitive dysfunction. In addition, the review examines the preclinical and clinical evidence, which suggests that prebiotics and probiotics may potentially be beneficial in sleep apnoea and its comorbidities through restoration of eubiosis or gut microbial homeostasis that regulates neural, metabolic and immune responses, as well as physiological barrier integrity via the gut-brain axis.

Contemporary Views of the Extraction, Health Benefits, and Industrial Integration of Rice Bran Oil: A Prominent Ingredient for Holistic Human Health

Globally, 50% of people consume rice (Oryza sativa), which is among the most abundant and extensively ingested cereal grains. Rice bran is a by-product of the cereal industry and is also considered a beneficial waste product of the rice processing industry. Rice bran oil (RBO) is created from rice bran (20-25 wt% in rice bran), which is the outermost layer of the rice kernel; has a lipid content of up to 25%; and is a considerable source of a plethora of bioactive components. The main components of RBO include high levels of fiber and phytochemicals, including vitamins, oryzanols, fatty acids, and phenolic compounds, which are beneficial to human health and well-being. This article summarizes the stabilization and extraction processes of rice bran oil from rice bran using different techniques (including solvent extraction, microwaving, ohmic heating, supercritical fluid extraction, and ultrasonication). Some studies have elaborated the various biological activities linked with RBO, such as antioxidant, anti-platelet, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic, anti-mutagenic, aphrodisiac, anti-depressant, anti-emetic, fibrinolytic, and cytotoxic activities. Due to the broad spectrum of biological activities and economic benefits of RBO, the current review article focuses on the extraction process of RBO, its bioactive components, and the potential health benefits of RBO. Furthermore, the limitations of existing studies are highlighted, and suggestions are provided for future applications of RBO as a functional food ingredient.

Nutrient intake, alcohol consumption, emotional eating and anxiety in women nursing students

Objective

The aim of the study was to analyze dietary habits, alcohol habits, emotional eating and anxiety in a sample of Spanish nursing students. These students appear to be essential to the field of public health and to teaching their future patients about their own good practices.

Methods

A cross-sectional investigation was conducted. Participants completed the Emotional Eater Questionnaire, the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) test to evaluate alcohol intake, the State-Trait anxiety Inventory (STAI) test to measure levels of anxiety as a state and anxiety as a trait, and self-reported sociodemographic data. Following classroom instruction, three-day food records were used to gauge food intake.

Results

The calorie intake for the macronutrients Ca, Mg, K, and Fe were below the Recommended Dietary Intakes (DRI) and imbalanced. The percentage E of proteins was 132.7 % more than recommended, while the percentage of carbohydrates is below the recommended level. Dietary energy consumption barely equaled 78 % of the total energy consumed by this sex and age group. With respect to emotional eating, nursing women students were low emotional eater (44 %) > emotional eater (30 %) > non-emotional eater (22.7 %). The students' emotional eating is substantially connected with fast food and sweets, or less healthy food intake behaviors. According to the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), 82.7 % of female students used alcohol on a regular basis in a low-risk manner.

Conclusion

The findings demonstrated a link between anxiety and dietary fat intake. Trait anxiety was negatively connected with emotional eating (EE), whereas state anxiety was positively correlated with meat consumption. It is crucial to consider these findings when creating prevention/intervention plans and profiles of harmful eating behaviors.

Time for bed: diet, sleep and obesity in children and adults

Sufficient sleep is necessary for optimal health, daytime performance and wellbeing and the amount required is age-dependent and decreases across the lifespan. Sleep duration is usually affected by age and several different cultural, social, psychological, behavioural, pathophysiological and environmental factors. This review considers how much sleep children and adults need, why this is important, what the consequences are of insufficient sleep and how we can improve sleep. A lack of the recommended amount of sleep for a given age group has been shown to be associated with detrimental effects on health including effects on metabolism, endocrine function, immune function and haemostatic pathways. Obesity has increased worldwide in the last few decades and the WHO has now declared it a global epidemic. A lack of sleep is associated with an increased risk of obesity in children and adults, which may lead to future poor health outcomes. Data from studies in both children and adults suggest that the relationship between sleep and obesity may be mediated by several different mechanisms including alterations in appetite and satiety, sleep timing, circadian rhythm and energy balance. Moreover, there is evidence to suggest that improvements in sleep, in both children and adults, can be beneficial for weight management and diet and certain foods might be important to promote sleep. In conclusion this review demonstrates that there is a wide body of evidence to suggest that sleep and obesity are causally related and recommends that further research is required to inform policy, and societal change.

Associations between Milk Intake and Sleep Disorders in Chinese Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

We aimed to examine the association of milk intake with sleep disorders and their specific indicators. The current study included 768 adults aged 28-95 from Wenling, China. Milk intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire with ten food items, while sleep disorders were measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), with higher scores indicating poorer sleep. The participants were divided into two groups according to the average intake of milk per week: rare intake (≤62.5 mL/week) and regular intake (>62.5 mL/week). Primary measurements were multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the prevalence of sleep disorders concerning regular milk intake compared with rare intake. In secondary analyses, linear regression analyses were performed to assess the effects of milk intake on sleep disorders and their specific dimensions. Regular intake of milk did not have a significant association with sleep disorders compared with rare intake (adjusted OR: 0.72, 95%; CI: 0.51, 1.03), but this association was found to be pronounced with sleep disturbances (OR: 0.49, 95%; CI: 0.28, 0.87). Increased intake of milk was significantly associated with the lower scores of PSQI for sleep quality (β: -0.045, 95%; CI: -0.083, -0.007) and sleep disturbances (β: -0.059, 95%; CI: -0.090, -0.029), respectively. When stratified by age and gender, the benefits of milk intake for sleep disorders and sleep disturbances were more significant in older adults (≥65) and men than in younger persons and women. In summary, regular milk intake benefits sleep quality, which may contribute to nutritional psychiatric support for prevention against sleep disorders.

Exploring the Role of Dairy Products In Sleep Quality: From Population Studies to Mechanistic Evaluations

Poor sleep quality and insufficient sleep affect a large portion of the population. This is concerning given increasing evidence that poor sleep health is a behavioral risk factor for the development of cardiometabolic diseases. A healthy diet is associated with a plethora of favorable health outcomes, and emerging research now highlights diet as a potential determinant of sleep health that could be leveraged to improve sleep quality. Dairy products are notably rich in tryptophan (Trp), a key substrate for serotonin and melatonin production, which are instrumental for initiating and maintaining sleep. Furthermore, dairy products provide a range of micronutrients that serve as cofactors in the synthesis of melatonin from Trp, which could contribute to sleep-promoting effects. In this review, we evaluate population studies and clinical trials to examine a possible link between dairy consumption and sleep. Available epidemiologic studies illustrate positive associations between dairy intake and sleep outcomes. Moreover, some intervention studies support a causal effect of dairy intake on sleep. Given these data, we discuss potential mechanisms, invite additional clinical research on this topic, and provide insights on how limitations of current studies can be addressed in future trials.

Human circadian rhythm studies: Practical guidelines for inclusion/exclusion criteria and protocol

As interest in circadian rhythms and their effects continues to grow, there is an increasing need to perform circadian studies in humans. Although the constant routine is the gold standard for these studies, there are advantages to performing more naturalistic studies. Here, a review of protocols for such studies is provided along with sample inclusion and exclusion criteria. Sleep routines, drug use, shift work, and menstrual cycle are addressed as screening considerations. Regarding protocol, best practices for measuring melatonin, including light settings, posture, exercise, and dietary habits are described. The inclusion/exclusion recommendations and protocol guidelines are intended to reduce confounding variables in studies that do not involve the constant routine. Given practical limitations, a range of recommendations is provided from stringent to lenient. The scientific rationale behind these recommendations is discussed. However, where the science is equivocal, recommendations are based on empirical decisions made in previous studies. While not all of the recommendations listed may be practical in all research settings and with limited potential participants, the goal is to allow investigators to make well informed decisions about their screening procedures and protocol techniques and to improve rigor and reproducibility, in line with the objectives of the National Institutes of Health.

Energy Drinks and Sleep among Adolescents

Many adolescents worldwide have the problem of meeting recommended nightly sleep hours. The causes of sleep disturbance are multifactorial, but interest in food’s effect on sleep has dramatically increased lately. In this study, we investigated the association between regular energy drink (ED) intake (weekly or more frequent) and sufficient sleep (SS) (≥8 h) in adolescents. Additional objectives were to examine the relationship between health-related behaviors and SS, stratified by gender. A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted during the 2019/2020 school year from 12 schools in Belgrade. There were 1287 students aged 15 to 19 who participated (37.4% male). We used a modified version of the food frequency questionnaire adapted for Serbian adolescents. Logistic regression revealed that regular ED consumption was an independent risk factor negatively related to SS in both sexes. Additionally, daily vegetable and water intake (≥2 L) showed a positive correlation with SS in boys, while in girls, the odds of realizing SS decreased with statements of sedative use. In conclusion, we show that ED intake is negatively associated with SS in both sexes; daily vegetable and water intake (≥2 L) may raise the odds of SS in boys, while sedative use may decrease the chances of SS in girls.

Ultra-processed and fresh food consumption and symptoms of anxiety and depression during the COVID – 19 pandemic: COVID Inconfidentes

Background & aim

Psychological disorders are an important health problem worldwide. A healthy diet is recommended as one of the measures to prevent and control mental disorders. Epidemiological studies have shown important associations between the consumption of diets rich in nutrients and a lower risk of developing anxiety and depression. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms and food consumption, according to the degree of processing, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

An epidemiological household survey was conducted in two cities in Brazil. Anxiety and depression symptoms were assessed using validated scales (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item/Patient Health Questionnaire-9), and food consumption was assessed using a qualitative food frequency questionnaire referring to consumption within the last 3 months. The foods were categorized according to the NOVA classification for fresh/minimally processed food and ultra-processed food, using the average weekly consumption as the cutoff. For data analysis, adjusted Poisson regression with robust variance was utilized to estimate the prevalence ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results

The consumption of fresh/minimally processed foods above the weekly average frequency was associated with a lower prevalence of symptoms of depression (PR: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.3; 0.7). Consumption above the weekly average of ultra-processed foods was associated with a higher prevalence of anxiety (PR: 1.5 and 95% CI: 1.03; 2.3) and depression symptoms (PR: 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0; 2.1, P = 0.034).

Conclusion

Increased consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with a higher occurrence of anxiety and depression symptoms; therefore, we recommend an increase in the consumption of fresh/minimally processed foods, as endorsed by the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population.

Evaluation of Sleep Architecture using 24-hour Polysomnography in Patients Recovering from Critical Illness in an Intensive Care Unit and High Dependency Unit: a Longitudinal, Prospective, and Observational Study

Background and objective

The sleep architecture of critically ill patients being treated in Intensive Care Units (ICU) and High Dependency Units (HDU) is frequently unsettled and inadequate both qualitatively and quantitatively. The study aimed to investigate and elucidate factors influencing sleep architecture and quality in ICU and HDU in a limited resource setting with financial constraints, lacking human resources and technology for routine monitoring of noise, light and sleep promotion strategies in ICU.

Methods

The study was longitudinal, prospective, hospital-based, analytic, and observational. Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) pre hospitalisation scores were recorded. Patients underwent 24-hour polysomnography (PSG) with the simultaneous monitoring of noise and light in their environments. Patients stabilised in ICU were transferred to HDU, where the 24-hour PSG with the simultaneous monitoring of noise and light in their environments was repeated. Following PSG, the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ) was employed to rate patients’ sleep in both the ICU and HDU.

Results

Of 46 screened patients, 26 patients were treated in the ICU and then transferred to the HDU. The mean (SD) of the study population’s mean (SD) age was 35.96 (11.6) years with a predominantly male population (53.2% (n=14)). The mean (SD) of the ISI and ESS scores were 6.88 (2.58) and 4.92 (1.99), respectively. The comparative analysis of PSG data recording from the ICU and HDU showed a statistically significant reduction in N1, N2 and an increase in N3 stages of sleep (p<0.05). Mean (SD) of RCSQ in the ICU and the HDU were 54.65 (7.70) and 60.19 (10.85) (p-value = 0.04) respectively. The disease severity (APACHE II) has a weak correlation with the arousal index but failed to reach statistical significance (coeff= 0.347, p= 0.083).

Conclusion

Sleep in ICU is disturbed and persisting during the recovery period in critically ill. However, during recovery, sleep architecture shows signs of restoration.

Association between Free Sugars Intake and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness among Chinese Adolescents

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and explore the association between free sugars intake and EDS. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 1517 middle school students (808 boys and 707 girls) aged 12~14 years were recruited. The study was conducted in Changsha city, China. Adolescents completed an online questionnaire, including the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), sleep characteristics, a 12-item Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), and other self-reported information. The ESS score ≥ ten was defined as EDS. The anthropometric indices, including height, weight, and waist circumference, were measured and recorded by uniformly trained assistants. Statistical analyses included the Chi-square test and binary logistic regression model. The mean ESS score and free sugars consumption were 6.8 ± 3.9 points and 53.1 ± 44.7 g/d, respectively. The prevalence of EDS among adolescents was 22.5%, and more girls than boys had EDS (26.1% vs. 19.4%, p < 0.05). An exceeded free sugars intake was positively associated with EDS, with the adjusted Odds Ratio (OR) with its 95% Confident Interval (95% CI) of 1.366 (1.060~1.761, p < 0.05). EDS and excessive consumption of free sugars are commonly found among Chinese adolescents. Further studies are needed to confirm whether free sugars restriction can be meaningful to improve daytime drowsiness in those with EDS.

The Effects of Milk and Dairy Products on Sleep: A Systematic Review

Several studies have assessed the effects of milk and dairy product intake on sleep quality and duration. Such investigations have varied in terms of their geographic locations, amounts of milk and dairy products, study participants (age, sex, race), and study designs. The present study aimed to summarize this literature and provide a unified view on whether the intake of milk and dairy products affects sleep quality. This systematic review was conducted according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The following keywords were chosen as electronic database search items from MeSH (medical subject headings) terms and descriptors in health sciences (DeHS) lists: milk, yogurt, dairy product, cheese, sleep, human, observational study, and interventional study. As a result, a total of 14 studies published between 1972 and 2019 were included in this review, including eight randomized controlled trials, two experimental studies with cross-over designs, one longitudinal study, and three cross-sectional studies. Four studies targeted older adults, three included toddlers, two targeted children, and six enrolled adults inclusive of university students. Overall, these studies indicated that a well-balanced diet that includes milk and dairy products is effective in improving sleep quality, despite mixed results across studies attributable to differences in study populations and methods.

REM sleep loss-induced elevated noradrenaline could predispose an individual to psychosomatic disorders: a review focused on proposal for prediction, prevention, and personalized treatment

Historically and traditionally, it is known that sleep helps in maintaining healthy living. Its duration varies not only among individuals but also in the same individual depending on circumstances, suggesting it is a dynamic and personalized physiological process. It has been divided into rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) and non-REMS (NREMS). The former is unique that adult humans spend the least time in this stage, when although one is physically asleep, the brain behaves as if awake, the dream state. As NREMS is a pre-requisite for appearance of REMS, the latter can be considered a predictive readout of sleep quality and health. It plays a protective role against oxidative, stressful, and psychopathological insults. Several modern lifestyle activities compromise quality and quantity of sleep (including REMS) affecting fundamental physiological and psychopathosomatic processes in a personalized manner. REMS loss-induced elevated brain noradrenaline (NA) causes many associated symptoms, which are ameliorated by preventing NA action. Therefore, we propose that awareness about personalized sleep hygiene (including REMS) and maintaining optimum brain NA level should be of paramount significance for leading physical and mental well-being as well as healthy living. As sleep is a dynamic, multifactorial, homeostatically regulated process, for healthy living, we recommend addressing and treating sleep dysfunctions in a personalized manner by the health professionals, caregivers, family, and other supporting members in the society. We also recommend that maintaining sleep profile, optimum level of NA, and/or prevention of elevation of NA or its action in the brain must be seriously considered for ameliorating lifestyle and REMS disturbance-associated dysfunctions.

Diet and Mental Health: Review of the Recent Updates on Molecular Mechanisms

Over the last decades, there has been a substantial increase in the prevalence of mental health disorders, including an increased prevalence of depression, anxiety, cognitive, and sleep disorders. Diet and its bioactive components have been recognized among the modifiable risk factors, possibly influencing their pathogenesis. This review aimed to summarize molecular mechanisms underlying the putative beneficial effects toward brain health of different dietary factors, such as micro- and macronutrient intake and habits, such as feeding time and circadian rhythm. The role of hormonal homeostasis in the context of glucose metabolism and adiponectin regulation and its impact on systemic and neuro-inflammation has also been considered and deepened. In addition, the effect of individual bioactive molecules exerting antioxidant activities and acting as anti-inflammatory agents, such as omega-3 fatty acids and polyphenols, considered beneficial for the central nervous system via modulation of adult neurogenesis, synaptic and neuronal plasticity, and microglia activation has been summarized. An overview of the regulation of the gut–brain axis and its effect on the modulation of systemic inflammation and oxidative stress has been provided. Finally, the impact of bioactive molecules on inflammation and oxidative stress and its association with brain health has been summarized.

Influence of Dietary Intake on Sleeping Patterns of Medical Students

Introduction

The aim of the study was to explore the association between the intake of specific food substances and the sleeping patterns of medical students.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 440 medical students, aged 18-24 years, chosen through non-probability consecutive sampling from Karachi, Pakistan. The Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) was used to measure sleep quality and a self-made questionnaire that categorized foods according to their nutritional constitutions was used to measure the frequency of food consumption. Associations were evaluated using the chi-square test with the level of significance taken as p < 0.05 and strength of significance determined using Cramer’s V. logistic regression to predict good sleep quality.

Results

Significant associations were found with soybeans, whole grains, processed meats, leafy greens, dark chocolate, spices, dairy products, products high in fat and sugar, lima beans, and carbohydrates in relation to sleep quality, with soybeans exhibiting a particularly stronger relationship. The odds of good sleep quality were 2.5 times more likely with soybean intake, 3.26 times more likely with carbohydrates, and 6.57 times more likely with lima beans. Intake of papayas was associated with reduced sleep quality.

Conclusion

Intake of certain food substances has a significant association with sleep quality. Clinical trials focusing on the nutritional basis of these associations can lead to a new integrated focus on functional foods to combat poor sleep and sleep-related diseases.

Preventive and Therapeutic Role of Functional Ingredients of Barley Grass for Chronic Diseases in Human Beings

Barley grass powder is the best functional food that provides nutrition and eliminates toxins from cells in human beings; however, its functional ingredients have played an important role as health benefit. In order to better cognize the preventive and therapeutic role of barley grass for chronic diseases, we carried out the systematic strategies for functional ingredients of barley grass, based on the comprehensive databases, especially the PubMed, Baidu, ISI Web of Science, and CNKI, between 2008 and 2017. Barley grass is rich in functional ingredients, such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), flavonoids, saponarin, lutonarin, superoxide dismutase (SOD), K, Ca, Se, tryptophan, chlorophyll, vitamins (A, B1, C, and E), dietary fiber, polysaccharide, alkaloid, metallothioneins, and polyphenols. Barley grass promotes sleep; has antidiabetic effect; regulates blood pressure; enhances immunity; protects liver; has anti-acne/detoxifying and antidepressant effects; improves gastrointestinal function; has anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hypolipidemic, and antigout effects; reduces hyperuricemia; prevents hypoxia, cardiovascular diseases, fatigue, and constipation; alleviates atopic dermatitis; is a calcium supplement; improves cognition; and so on. These results support that barley grass may be one of the best functional foods for preventive chronic diseases and the best raw material of modern diet structure in promoting the development of large health industry and further reveal that GABA, flavonoids, SOD, K-Ca, vitamins, and tryptophan mechanism of barley grass have preventive and therapeutic role for chronic diseases. This paper can be used as a scientific evidence for developing functional foods and novel drugs for barley grass for preventive chronic diseases.

Romaine Lettuce/Skullcap Mixture Improves Sleep Behavior in Vertebrate Models

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of romaine lettuce leaves extract (RE), skullcap root extract (SE) and their mixture on sleep behaviors in vertebrate models. HPLC analysis showed that RE contains lactucopicrin (0.02±0.01 mg/g extract), chlorogenic acid (4.05±0.03 mg/g extract), caffeic acid (2.38±0.03 mg/g extract), and chicoric acid (7.02±0.32 mg/g extract) as main phenolic compounds, while SE includes baicalin (99.4±0.5 mg/g extract), baicalein (8.28±0.21 mg/g extract), and wogonin (3.09±0.32 mg/g extract). The mixture of RE (100 mg/g extract) and SE (40 mg/g extract) increased total sleep time by 50.9% compared with the control in pentobarbital-induced sleep model. In electroencephalography (EEG) analysis, RE/SE mixture significantly increased Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM), in which delta wave was enhanced by around 40% compared with normal control, leading to the increase of sleep time. In caffeine-induced wake model, RE/SE mixture greatly decreased (53%) caffeine-induced wake time, showing a similar level to normal control. In addition, caffeine-induced decreased of NREM and delta wave effectively increased with RE/SE mixture; NREM and delta wave increased by 85% and 108%, respectively. Furthermore, RE/SE mixture was shown to bind to a gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA)-benzodiazepine (BZD) receptor stronger than RE or SE single extract. Taken together, RE/SE mixture effectively improved sleep behavior with the increase of NREM via GABAA-BZD receptor binding. RE/SE mixture can be used as an herbal agent for sleep disorders.

Disciplined sleep for healthy living: Role of noradrenaline

Sleep is essential for maintaining normal physiological processes. It has been broadly divided into rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) and non-REMS (NREMS); one spends the least amount of time in REMS. Sleep (both NREMS and REMS) disturbance is associated with most altered states, disorders and pathological conditions. It is affected by factors within the body as well as the environment, which ultimately modulate lifestyle. Noradrenaline (NA) is one of the key molecules whose level increases upon sleep-loss, REMS-loss in particular and it induces several REMS-loss associated effects and symptoms. The locus coeruleus (LC)-NAergic neurons are primarily responsible for providing NA throughout the brain. As those neurons project to and receive inputs from across the brain, they are modulated by lifestyle changes, which include changes within the body as well as in the environment. We have reviewed the literature showing how various inputs from outside and within the body integrate at the LC neuronal level to modulate sleep (NREMS and REMS) and vice versa. We propose that these changes modulate NA levels in the brain, which in turn is responsible for acute as well as chronic psycho-somatic disorders and pathological conditions.

Antitussive activity of the Schisandra chinensis fruit polysaccharide (SCFP-1) in guinea pigs models

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. (S. chinensis), locally known as "Wuweizi", has been used in the treatment of chronic cough as prescription medications of Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. However, the components of antitussive activity of S. chinensis and the mechanism are poorly understood.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study aims to investigate the antitussive activity of polysaccharides extracted from S. chinensis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

S. chinensis fruit polysaccharide-1 (SCFP-1) was extracted by 95% ethanol and distilled water successively, and then the water extraction was isolated with chromatographic columns. The preliminary characterization of SCFP-1 was analyzed by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and some other recognized chemical methods. Antitussive potential of SCFP-1 was estimated at dose of 250, 500, and 1000mg/kg respectively by peroral administration in a guinea pigs model with cough hypersensitivity induced by cigarette smoke (Chronic cough model) or acute cough guinea model induced by citric acid (Acute cough model). Also, the time-dependent antitussive effect of SCFP-1 were evaluated with acute cough model, and compared with codeine.

RESULTS

The molecular of SCFP-1 was 3.18×10⁴Da, mainly being composed of glucose and arabinose (66.5% and 29.4%, respectively). Peroral administration of SCFP-1 at 250, 500, and 1000mg/kg showed remarkable suppressive effects respectively on cough in both of chronic cough model and acute cough model. Meanwhile, inflammatory cell in BALF and some typical characteristics of nonspecific airway inflammation in animals exposed to CS was significantly attenuated after pretreatment with SCFP-1. The cough suppression of SCFP-1 (500 mg/kg) stablly lasted during the whole 5 h of time-dependent experiment, while no positive effect was observed after 300 min of oral administration of codeine.

CONCLUSIONS

SCFP-1 is one of the antitussive components of S. chinensis.